Lapsi

If it's not broke don't fix it...right? No! One of the best methods of mental health recovery is to maintain an environment prone to mental health and mental illness recovery. Staying mentally healthy is a way of life, not something you do when things start to go wrong. Keep reading for your top 10 tips to staying mentally healthy! Remember sometimes, the best treatment is prevention. For access to some great cutting-edge research aside from the tips below, check out the Mental Health Center of Denver's Research and Evaluation Team's publications. 1) Stay Physically Active: the human mind developed in an environment requiring one travels the equivalent of 12 miles per day for sheer survival (and no...

Today I received two professional publications, one focuses on issues for the mental heatlh profession and the other addresses building information marketing businesses. I read each this evening one after the other and noticed some stark contrasts. Mental health professionals write a lot about thinking and talking. I suppose that is what most of us do well, considering we have many years of school under our belts and psychotherapy requrires a significant amount of talking. In fact, we develop our expertise by thinking and share it by talking (and writing). I can tell we do a lot of thinking and talking when I read phrases like, "...gathering information," "...committees will meet to discuss," "...in...

I woke up this morning in the throes of a major anxiety attack! What happened? All I could think about was any way to relax and doing so without the use of prescription drugs. Having just read about a remarkable health product, L-theanine, I had gone to the local health food store a couple of weeks ago and purchased a bottle. Now if only I remember where I stashed it. I have suffered from major anxiety for quite some time and have seen mental health professionals who insist that I take mood stabilizers, something I choose not to do. The side effects listed on some of these bottles include, increased anxiety. Now, why would I take something that increases my nervous disposition? And so I never took...

While there have been many advances made in the mental health field over the last quarter century, with mental health professionals acknowledging more and more mental illnesses and how they develop, one aspect of mental health is still not widely discussed. This is the actual impact that physical illness has on one’s mental health. In fact, few people who are not in the mental health field even consider the part that physical illness plays when it comes to mental health. For example, when you get a cold, you may be a little irritable, and most of us would attribute the fact that we don’t feel good to that irritability. However, it goes a little deeper than that. When we don’t feel good...

Oppositional Defiance Disorder treatment generally results in the combination of following treatment methods: - Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy is defined as any form of counseling involving a medical profession. This can range from individual to group or even family therapy. The goal of psychotherapy is to help the child learn ways to express their feeling and manage their anger. The child learns what triggers their defiant behavior and ways to channel that energy in a more productive manner. Family therapy is aimed at helping the entire family understand and cope with the child's defiant behavior. By understanding the triggers that stimulate a child's defiant behavior the family learns how to...

According to a report in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, children in America have available to them holistic ADHD solutions that are more commonly used with European children. Since ADHD also affects adults, it's possible that the same situation exists for them. Studies are showing that symptoms of ADD/ADHD are holding some people back from achieving their potential. With children, the effects of ADHD can negatively affect their learning abilities which can of course carry on into adulthood and have an impact on what opportunities will open up for them. ADHD is not an indicator of intellectual potential. Actually, it's commonly known that people with ADHD have very high creative...

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a therapeutic methodology developed by Linehan, a psychology researcher at the University of Washington to treat people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). DBT combines Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with concepts of methodologies from various practices including Eastern mindfulness techniques. Research has shown that DBT is the first therapy that has been effective for treating BPD. Further research has been carried out and appears to show that it is also effective in treating people with spectrum mood disorders including self harming behaviour. Linehan created DBT after realising that other therapies were ineffectual when used for BPD. She recognised...

For far too long, psychological treatment has been viewed as an extravagance suited only for the wealthy. In reality, mental illness afflicts anyone, regardless of their financial status. According to a Duke University study, nearly six in ten Americans are at risk of anxiety disorders, clinical depression, or substance abuse. Millions more are apt to experience mental ailments, expert say. Sadly, only about one fifth of these people will actually seek treatment. Most of those remaining will not and simply suffer in silence until their symptoms go away. In general, majority of mental illnesses are treatable and manageable with appropriate care. And fortunately, psychological treatment is becoming...

Despite my unusual name, I happen to be a woman. I am also an American child and adolescent psychiatrist with more than 30 years of practice under my belt. Seven years ago I emigrated from the US to New Zealand, mainly for political reasons. I describe the unusual events leading up to this momentous decision in my upcoming book - The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee. Obviously a lot has happened in seven years. I have learned I am not alone in deciding to emigrate out of frustration with the Bush administration. It turns out tens of thousands of Americans emigrated between 2000 and 2008. Polls show most of them were liberals and progressives. In November 2003 expatriate...

Many studies that showed nicotine is very addictive were carried, but the researchers are trying for many years to discover the secret of menthol in cigarettes. A few of the researchers think that menthol allows smokers to take intense puffs or drags on cigarettes, this way a big amount of toxins go deeper and smoother. This is what Jonathan Foulds affirmed. He is the director of the Tobacco Dependence Program at the University of Dentistry and Medicine of New Jersey’s School of Public Health. Jonathan Foulds in a recent research discovered that persons who usually smoked menthol cigarettes have bigger problems to give up smoking than those who smoked regular cigarettes for a long time...

There are a lot of women all over the world that suffer from a severe fear of men. There are a lot of things that can contribute to this, and here we will look at what some of them are. Beatings that have been endured by a woman are one reason for women to be afraid of men. This can have a very devastating on the life that the women has after the attack. It can result in a lot of negative things that they may have to endure for a very long time, sometimes the rest of their lives. Many women are victims of emotional abuse by men that are in their lives. This can be another thing that can make them have a fear of men as well. The intimidation and humiliation that they endure through the emotional...

It was a matter of seconds. At birth, the fetus did not get enough oxygen in her brain. Eli was born perfectly normal physically, but with serious learning and motor impediments. When she turned three, it was obvious to everyone. Eli was put under psychiatric treatment and prescribed some heavy medications to control her severe hyperactivity, attention deficit and erratic behavior. The medications were effective partially taking care of some of her symptoms, but their side effects were devastating. Eli lost all her body hair, including her eyelids and eyebrows.  And even when she became able to socialize up to a certain degree, Eli would never be able to advance much in academics or to hold a job...

Stress is an unavoidable aspect of everyday life. Every person suffers from one form of stress or another at some point in their lives. The word "stress" is often associated with bad feelings, depression and fatigue. What many are not aware of is that there are good forms of stress, as well as bad. Stress can make one more productive, or it can cause sleeplessness, irritability and anxiety. Eustress is the kind of stress felt before a big event, after winning a trophy, or in anticipation of a big promotion. This type of stress never lasts long, but the effects of this type of stress are positive rather than negative. Eustress gives us strength when we need it most. Most people do not regard...

Although some people still have some mystical, magical "shoulds" in their minds that say that "you should be able to solve your own problems without help", getting assistance for marital difficulties is now acceptable and commonplace. Many of your neighbors, office cohorts, and possibly even people in your own family, have sought and benefited from marital counseling. There are as many different reasons why people seek marital counseling as there are couples seeking it. Many things impact the marriage in today's society. Some couples deal with grave issues like infidelity, abuse, mental health issues or addiction, but many work on day to day living issues. Stress at work, financial worries...

I am often asked what my 'red flags' are as a therapist when I am counseling a couple and I sense he might be dangerous. There certainly ARE specific things that I have trained my ear to listen for because they are often indicators of more serious problems often attached to dangerous behavior. These include: * Pacing of the relationship. If its 24/7 it's not that he's "just that into you." Pathological men have agendas about getting the relationship to appear 'intense' and 'deep' quickly. They want to usher you into the middle of the relationship before you figure out his agenda or respond to your own red flags. Predators have told me in group that their move is to 'sweep them off their feet' by...

We have all heard of PTSD and understand it is very real for those who have these problems. But, what about the emotional traumatic baggage that people carry around - what about the things that happen to people in life that really hurt their psyche? Psychologists say that is causes stress when folks relive these memories and that can lead to mental health issues, even health problems. Very interesting and it's kind of like that saying you tell people when something is "driving them nuts," some event that angers them or was such an emotional negative event that they cannot let it go, and so we say; "don't let it eat you up in side." Well, maybe that's exactly it? It really is "driving them nuts" and...

As a teenager around year 1976 or 1977, back home in Tehran, I was reading a novel that was about participating events during the Russian revolution. The novel was attention-grabbing and several times I came across the word Democracy. I really did not know the meaning of that word. My curiosity motivated me to look up the word in a dictionary we had in our library. I did not appreciate to skip the unfamiliar word that like many other Latin words were being printed in our Persian literature. I looked up the word just because I had an emerging need for conceptualizing the story. I think the meaning that I found was too vague or too broad and I tried to put things into a context by that simple minded...

Theoretically, I should have known the answer to that question at birth--my mother was a self-help products junkie, who acquired many self-help books, and tape products, and even once met Earl Nightingale in person, so I suppose my DNA is laced with the desire for self-help and self-improvement. In reality I got into selling the Nelson Berry Subliminal Videos about two years ago, around the time I began selling other digital download products, such as recipe ebooks. Though I originally began buying the videos for my own use, I realized, heck, I was already marketing digital download products, and most of the subliminal videos I purchased came with resale rights, so, it seemed a natural progression...

A well-trained doctor is able to recognize minute changes in patient's strength. It was empirically shown that any kind of stress reaction causes muscular strength to drops no matter how the patient consciously tries to resist. Heart rate variability while pushing the patient's arm the doctor evaluates the strength of patient's muscular resistance. Heart rate variability patient is asked to stretch an arm and keep it steady. Here is how it works. A muscle testing technique is one of the most popular techniques among specialists practicing alternative medicine. How to measure reactions of the autonomic nervous system? Heart rate variability "measuring reaction of the autonomic nervous system...

In the program I was in for my masters degree, there was a two day a week requirement as my social work internship placement. One year I was at a university counseling center and this was very good experience. I was able to do individual counseling, group counseling, participate in staff meetings and get individual supervision. Some of my friends had placements in youth centers, community mental health clinics and family agencies. Without the placement, a lot of the courses would've remained cerebral. The field placmeent internship enables one to encounter the day to day experience you'll have once you get a job. First of all, there was the hour commute. I did this two days a week as part of my...

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - "ADD" or "ADHD" - affects between five to ten percent (5% - 10%) of all children in the United States, and three to six percent (3% - 6%) of adults. About 35% of all children referred to mental health clinics are referred for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, making it one of the most prevalent of all childhood psychiatric disorders. The 5% number is a solid, conservative number supported by a lot of research. Even at 5% each classroom in America will have one or two (2) ADHD kids in the class. So it is a very real, and very significant problem across America. When only Parent Rating Scales are used in a research project, the numbers will range from...

"Just Google It"...any 8 year old will tell you today. Only 5 short years ago if you where looking for good Chinese food or needed a plumber because your sink was clogged the overwhelmingly preferred method was to "Grab The Yellow Pages". The Big Yellow Book has now fallen by the wayside as search engines are now the preferred method to find products and services. The newly coined phrase used so widely that any 8 year old will tell you today... Just Google it. 3 Words That Have Changed Everything These 3 words are revolutionizing the marketing arena...30 Billion searches on average a month and growing simply cannot be ignored any longer. If you are not taking steps to shift your marketing budget to...

What began as a hobby, has become a full-time obsession. I refuse to refer to drawing as a "job", that would defeat the original purpose of what I do. It started as a search for some part-time way of augmenting Social Security. I needed enough additional income to keep the wolves away and facilitate my being able to focus exclusively on art; the fulfillment of a life-long dream. For the past three years, I have been making the transition from my previous life as a mental health counselor to that of a semi-retired caricature artist. It has been one heck of a trip, but well worth the time and effort. I feel very comfortable saying to one and all that I have now made it to where I had always wished and...

Every night when you go to bed, you promise tomorrow is going to be different. You're going to control your anger, assert yourself more positively, have more enjoyment in life, and the list goes on. The next morning you open your eyes and you know today everything will work out just like you have been dreaming of. But as the day goes on, the same bad thoughts keep entering your head -- they seem as if they will always be there. Each thing that happens during the day seems to build on top of everything else. You're starting to lose hope that you'll ever be happy or in a pleasant mood again. Breathe deeply, say positive attributes about yourself, do away with negativity by paying attention to your...

Commitment is a funny word. The first definition in the Encarta® World English Dictionary describes it as something that takes up time or energy - not a very appealing proposition. The third definition says it's an activity that cannot be avoided. Yikes! The fifth definition refers to the act of confinement to a mental health facility. No wonder commitment within relationships is so tricky! Only the second definition speaks to what we tend to mean when couples talk about commitment: devotion or dedication to a person or relationship. So, how do we wade through the other possibilities and make devotion and dedication the cornerstone of our bonds? Let's start by looking at the negative...

There are a growing number of social media sites being used by businesses in their company marketing efforts. The secret to using social media effectively is not to be everywhere, but instead to have an online presence where your current and prospective customers are online. Contrary to what many believe- Facebook is not just for college students or for personal use. Facebook is increasingly being used by companies in many creative ways such as to build their brand image, to drive traffic to their website and blogs, to announce or get feedback on new products, manage their online reputation, attract employees, communicate company information, and as a means to intercept potential prospects. For many...

About six years ago I fell victim to a crippling disorder known as the panic attack. Unless you have experienced a panic attack, you can not imagine the fear and terror it will inflict on you. Sometimes it comes from anxiety and builds into panic. Other times it appears out of the blue. Either way, you think that you will surely die. In my case, I had finally landed the job that took me two years to get. The job that I wanted to retire from in twenty five to thirty years. Due to an overload of stress at home and trying to learn the ins and outs of a new job, the anxiety started to build. It took a little over a year, then it happened, my first serious panic attack. I woke up one day so stricken with...

In any country there has to be proper health care facilities to take care of the needs of its people and visitors. On the island there are numerous centers, hospitals and services, both public and private. Hospitals in Jamaica are both public and privately owned and one can be found in any of the fourteen parishes. The Ministry of Health is the government body that is responsible for monitoring, formulating, implementing and administering policies in the health care. This ministry has direct responsibility for all public facilities which includes the hospitals. In the earlier part of the 80's it was estimated that there were twenty-two general hospitals that were providing for both outpatient and...

We are all creative beings. Men's creative minds made them reach the peak of the highest mountain in the world, plant a flag on the moon, fly into outer space. Our creativity brought about inventions that have changed human history and culture such as the computer, the Internet, cell phone, TV, x-ray machines, and a long list of other innovations. These are all the end result of man's creativity.   Suffice it to say, creativity produces works of art, which in turn, plays a large role in our everyday lives. We can see them in almost every corner, every space or walls around us.  Art has been used as a visual means of communication and expression dating back to prehistoric times. Art speaks of...

There are quite a few steps to achieve the goal of becoming a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are different than psychologists as psychiatrists have a medical degree and they can prescribe medicines, while the psychologist does not have a medical degree and can only counsel and advise without prescribing any medications. Psychiatry is a vast field of science which covers several different branches of medicine like psychotherapy and child psychiatry, forensic and pharmacological psychiatry.To start off, it helps if you are younger and have made the decision to go in the field of psychology. It is essential to take lots of science classes in high school including physics, chemistry and biology as this...

suffering from the Avoidant Personality Disorder feel inadequate, unworthy, inferior, and lacking in self-confidence. As a result, they are shy and socially inhibited. Aware of their real (and, often, imagined) shortcomings, they are constantly on the lookout, are hypervigilant and hypersensitive. Even the slightest, most constructive and well-meant or helpful criticism and disagreement are perceived as complete rejection, ridicule, and shaming. Consequently, they go to great lengths to avoid situations that require interpersonal contact - such as attending school, making new friends, accepting a promotion, or teamwork activities. Hence the Avoidant Personality Disorder. Inevitably, Avoidants find...

Sometimes you're giving someone a piece of advise that seems obvious to you and yet they stubbornly decline to follow it. Other times you're 100% sure that you're right in a discussion or argument and yet the other participants remain blinded to your point of view. If you're expressing yourself publicly like me, those situations come in a larger scale. Do you experience extreme frustration in such moments? If so, then you don't understand the real purpose behind giving advise and sharing your point of view. You mistake it for manipulating and trying to change the other purpose. It's true even if you think it's for their own good. There is a thin and delicate line between empowering and inspiring...